The Legend that is Oogway
by Oogways-Disciple
Summary: Oogway, the giant Galapagos Tortoise, was hailed as the greatest warrior of his times. He became the founder of Kung Fu and was credited with the establishment of the Dragon Warrior legend. However, he was not always the strong and wise tortoise we see him as. Come find out, as I unravel to you - the secrets of this legendary master.
1. Part 1, The Galapagos Islands

In an island far, far away, lived a young tortoise named Oogway. The Galapagos islands were beautiful and a wonderful place to reside in. But to the young tortoise, it was far from a peaceful paradise.

Oogway was slow and dull. He couldn't keep up with the other faster, more graceful, and the more talented animals. They laughed at him - at his large awkward shell, at the fact that a tortoise like him would go on to live for hundreds of years, but would never amount to much.

Oogway despised the body he was born in. He had retreated into a deep shell - of self-loathing, denial and depression. Sleep, sloth and gratifying pleasures coupled with excessive procrastination soon became his friends - but somehow all that never led him to find lasting peace.

It is indeed wondrous how this little, slow and dull tortoise would go on to become a Warrior of Legends and the founder of Kung Fu.


	2. Part 2, The First Step

Oogway sat at his favourite spot - under a tree on a short cliff - eating it's luscious, fleshy fruits. He stared absent-mindedly at where the ocean met the sky. A ship was docked at the distant port - it'd likely leave in a few days.

"Hey are you deaf!" A voice interrupted his reverie.

Oogway never liked the presence of other animals much. He instantly felt the urge to shut himself up inside his shell. But he looked to the side, and got a glimpse of a certain somebody he hadn't seen in a long time - a fellow tortoise!

It turned out that the tortoise visitor was an old, long-lost uncle or relative. Oogway had no memory of him. The old visitor had contracted an illness, and he felt his days were numbered. So he wished to return to his homeland.

It was a tortoise that was even slower than him. He even held a strange, foreign string instrument.

On seeing how empty Oogway looked, he decided to offer him a little bit of advice.

"Do you remember your days as a baby? You hatched out of your egg beneath this soil. You struggled, and dug upwards for days with no light in sight. But you struggled, until you had finally embraced the world outside of the ground. Remember how that felt?"

Oogway felt a poke in his faint, forgotten memory. The old visitor handed out the string instrument - which he called the Erhu - to him.

"Maybe it's time for you to come out of your shell."

The old tortoise slumped to the ground with a smile on his face, and seemed like he was about to fall into a long, deep sleep.

"That ship leaves tomorrow. You'll never know the wonders of tomorrow if you cling to your past."

Oogway was mystified. He had never considered leaving the island before. He looked back at the distant horizon. Maybe..?

* * *

The ships spread out it's sails like a magnificent swan, and blared out it's horns. The slow and dull Oogway was making his way up steadily, to get on board.

"Come on up, be quick already!" Some of the onlookers laughed, while much of the ship's crew was impatient.

As soon as he made it onto the deck, the anchor was lifted, and the ropes untied. The ship had set out.

Oogway smiled at his little achievement. He had no clue where he'd be going with this. His whole body had rebelled - craving the toxic comfort of the place he was about to leave, away from that feeling of familiarity.

A tiny trace of thought poked him - maybe change was possible?

However, Oogway had taken only the first step in a long, winding journey of self-discovery.


	3. Part 3, Sunrise

It is wondrous how the mind works when it is forced into situations it's unfamiliar with.

The ocean was fearsome. The mighty expanse of waters extended itself in all the four directions. The rocking boat and the view of the endless ocean stabbed Oogway with stress and fear he had never felt before.

He had gone aboard in a fit of madness. But now, all he could do was cower and hide beneath his shell throughout the journey. The erhu lay beside him, untouched and sad.

Should he have waited before taking the step? Was there no way out of this discomfort? Was his whole journey going to be like this?

No, his own mind replied. There is no going back now. Atleast, not at the moment.

In a few hours, his body wore out, and sleep seeped in.

Sleep is a powerful ally. It takes hostage your stress, fear and anxiety - to subdue them, until your body recuperates and repairs. It gives you another chance to fight the next time you wake up.

And so did Oogway, in his own way of course.

Days passed, and Oogway remained in his shell. Yet, he was somehow - starting to feel, more at ease?

That was indeed the case. If you give your mind and body enough time, they'll adapt to new situations rather quickly. Even the dull and slow Oogway wasn't spared from this small transformation.

In time, Oogway finally decided to come out of his shell.

And he saw the sun - rising at the far horizon, in resplendent colours. The fearsome ocean hadn't looked this beautiful before. 


	4. Part 4, The Mind's Lens

The ship had been sailing in the direction of the daily sunrise for many days now. The little tortoise - Oogway - was likely the last to realize that it had touched land. Much of the ship's passengers had already alighted.

"Hey you, we reached the land of the Americas. You get down now, or the carriage to city will leave you!"

The words spurred Oogway to action.

By the time Oogway had stepped onto the new and exotic foreign soil, there was no carriage waiting for him.

But he wasn't alone. A strange bird was with him, holding a bulky, ornate glass vase. Oogway looked at his colorful beak and plumage admiringly.

"Hola, so you are a tortoise aren't you? I'm Toucan. Wanna walk to the city together?"

Oogway flinched at being asked a polite question. Toucan narrowed his eyes waiting for a response.

"Oh alright. But where does this lead to?"

Toucan looked at him incredulously. "You don't know? The City of Opportunity, the trade city, a place to sell and buy goods!"

He looked at the erhu Oogway was holding. "I doubt you'd be able to sell that though. They don't accept stuff from China."

"Ah no, I am not selling it."

"Ok, Let's move ahead then." The toucan replied impatiently.

As the two walked forward slowly, Toucan grew more and more frustrated.

"Don't mind me. I'm in a bit of a hurry. So I'm going on ahead. !" said Toucan, before scampering forward.

Oogway looked at his own two feet, and sighed. He continued at his steady pace.

Before long, Oogway found himself surrounded by a group of large birds with sharp talons and curved beaks. The ferocious Band of the Hawk derived pleasure from ambushing defenseless travelers and stealing their valuables.

The largest of the hawks held the same red vase that Toucan was carrying. He spoke out loud "We found ourselves another lackey! Will he also run away without a fight?"

The birds of prey laughed as they scrutinized Oogway's large awkward shell and his trembling limbs. The little tortoise couldn't move. One of these hawks pushed him back, snatching away the erhu.

"Hey isn't this a chinese instrument? Looks like he's got nothing on him." he said, before throwing the wooden instrument and it's bow aside.

The hawk holding the vase huffed angrily. "Doesn't matter, let's carve him up." He pointed his menacing talons at him.

The birds closed in on him, while Oogway was forced to retreat into his shell.

They scratched, and scratched endlessly on his hard shell. Their talons weren't big enough to reach his soft innards either. The largest hawk was furious. He smashed the red glass vase onto his shell, covering Oogway in glass fragments.

The hawks had to resign. They left him be.

When the coast was clear, Oogway came out of his shell.

It was interesting. His large awkward shell; the thing that he was mocked for; the very thing he despised about himself - was the one that protected him in his time of despair.

Had he been blind? One is often so focused on his neighbor's beautiful garden, that he ignores the treasures of his own uncultivated garden.

He picked up one of the glass shards, and looked through it. The trees, the road - everything looked all red.

Wasn't his own mind like this red lens? Coloring the world it looks at. Coloring the way it looks at oneself. One could be physically deformed, or stunningly attractive - but it is one's own mind that views it as either a curse or a gift.

What other gifts did Oogway possess? It didn't take long for him to find out. Since all it takes is a peek into one's self. 


	5. Part 5, The Nomad and the Farmer

The City of Opportunity. A city that was a melting pot of various animal tribes of the Americas, where riverine civilization was at it's infancy. In that medium-sized town, one could occasionally spot an animal from the prosperous lands of the Bharatvarsha and China of the far east.

Oogway stepped into the city, huffing and puffing, sweat glistening throughout his frame. He was greeted with a sight that immediately stole away his fatigue.

A hundred different stimuli bombarded him. Animals scurried around carrying valuables, merchants screamed to sell, and pungent odours of spice clung to the air. It was too much to take in at once. The city moved too fast for him.

Thus, he decided to retreat and take shelter under a fruit tree on the outskirts. He savoured the pleasure of eating some fallen fresh fruits.

It was then that Oogway decided to finally try playing the erhu. As he clumsily held the bow in one hand, he struggled to hold the instrument on his hind legs. His bow hand shook uneasily as he tried to place the bow on the taught strings. He made his first attempt to swiftly move it across.

What came out was a murderous sound even the crows wouldn't make. His ears felt sore. Even the leaves of the tree seemed to rustle in dissaproval. Oogway sighed. He kept the instrument aside, embraced the soft ground and descended into sleep.

He spent many days like that – strolling lazily around the outskirts of the town but never going in, long hours spent dawdling and doing nothing, and sleeping. Once in a while, he'd have the inspiration to pick up the instrument again, but only to keep it back after playing one crass stroke.

How was this any different from what he was like back at the Galapagos islands?

Oogway had a small realization. Old habits die hard. They are like writings on stone – how was one supposed to rub them off?

But he'd never have had this thought if he hadn't left the islands.

That's the magic of travel. It helps you reflect in a way you could never have imagined staying in zones you are just too familiar with. It gives you an opportunity – to set things right after you once again settle in a shell of comfort.

But if travel was so magical, could one spend all his time doing that – following the life of a nomad? They say that the nomad was infinitely happier than the settler. He'd go from place to place, eating different foods, experiencing new sights and looking at the same star-studded sky – but with a different lens each time.

But one only has so much energy to do that. At some point when your strength and will finally fades, one needs to settle down, to reflect on the experiences that he gained. Wouldn't he require some sort of legacy to sustain himself then?

Oogway, in time, made a decision. He needed to experience the sights and sounds of the various parts of the world. He wanted to find something. He needed a strong purpose to strive for, and a place to settle – a place he could finally call home.

He got up, picked up the erhu that lay on the soft grass and once again set foot into the town he had been avoiding.


	6. Part 6, The hare and the tortoise

The little tortoise, Oogway, once again set a daring foot into the city. The City of Opportunity was teeming with more activity than before. The colorful stalls selling food, sculptures, pottery and antiques were surrounded by animals chattering, pushing and screaming.

Oogway casually observed all this, wading slowly through the hustle and bustle of the main street. He struggled to process all that was going around him. When he came to a peaceful-looking tavern, he decided to enter.

As he took up a comfortable seat at a corner, a female cat approached him.

"What would you like, young tortoise?" she asked.

Oogway realized how dry his throat felt.

"Uhm, I'll have what he's having," he said, pointing at a fragrant white drink an animal nearby was holding.

She narrowed her sharp eyes, scrutinized him and the erhu beside him, before leaving to fetch his order. At that moment, an animal popped up like a flash in front of Oogway. It was a hare.

Oogway was startled.

"Ah sorry! Just saw you bring in an erhu. Do you play?" the enthusiastic hare asked.

Oogway took a moment to process the hare's fast words.

"No. Just something I've been carrying."

"I see." the hare replied. "I wouldn't have expected somebody to carry a chinese instrument here. Do you plan to sell it?"

The female cat arrived and set a glass in front of him.

"No." Oogway said before taking the glass, and gulping down the flavored white mass to ease his throat. Oogway frowned in disgust. What was this drink?

After a couple of seconds, Oogway's head started feeling dizzy and his stomach hurt. Pain seared across his front. His shell felt twice as heavy.

"Hey, are you alright?" the hare asked.

Oogway didn't respond. His stomach clenched, his throat felt full, before he finally expelled all that he had drunk, right onto the table in front. He collapsed unconscious onto his own pool of vomit.

* * *

"A tortoise like him, drinking up a glass of milk?"

Oogway heard faint words. He felt soft grass, and the caress of a cool breeze. When he opened his eyes, he saw the hare, holding his erhu, and a large Llama.

The large Llama huffed.

"Had to carry you out here. Be thankful to this young hare, he had to take care of your mess!" said the large Llama. He turned, and huffed once more, before plodding away.

Oogway noticed that they were in a grassy area, surrounded by tall trees.

"Where am I?" he asked.

"Right outside the town, to it's north. I thought you'd feel more comfortable here. I'm guessing it's your first time here," the hare said, smiling.

"It's going to be a chilly night" he added, closing his eyes, raising his ears to the sky . "How about you go and collect some dry leaves from around here? I'll go look around for some wood."

Oogway took some time to get up and respond to the hare's words. "Ah alright."

The hare set the erhu before him and bolted out of sight.

Oogway set to work at his own pace. By the time he had a collected a decent number of dried, cast-away leaves and returned, the young hare had already arranged a number of twigs and branches into a neat pile. He was sitting a little distance away, carving out a piece of wood.

"Just place it over the pile!" said the hare. Oogway trudged forward and did so.

"We haven't introduced ourselves," the bubbly hare said, eyes shining bright. "I'm Yetzu, a sculptor from a village in China in the far-east. I've been traveling for many months. What's your name?"

"It's Oogway. I too am traveling."

So they talked. Hare narrated a number of stories about his travels. Oogway only had one story to share. That of being attacked by a troupe of hawks.

"The Band of the Hawk?" Yetzu propped up his ears in astonishment. "Doesn't that group have it's lair in the Steepy Hills of the north-west?"

"That's really impressive, your shell is really useful." he added, looking at his shell in fascination.

Oogway smiled, looking down. Nobody had ever looked at his shell in that way.

In time, a chilly wind whistled through the trees, announcing the pass of dusk. The sky darkened almost immediately. Oogway's limbs shivered. The industrious hare kept chipping away steadily and nimbly at the block of wood he was working with. Oogway looked at this sight in awe.

"Young Yetzu, what motivates you to keep working on your sculpture?"

At this the hare chuckled. The chilly wind stopped blowing.

"What motivates me?" he said, almost talking to himself.

"It's an interesting word – motivation," he added. "But it's much like this wind. Coming and going as it pleases."

He hopped forward, and set the carved block down. Picking up the two sharp looking stones he had brought, he deftly struck them together over the dry leaves. With a blinding spark, the leaves crackled and lit up.

"It's also like this spark that sets up a fire." Yetzu said, as the small flame began to blaze stronger, consuming the wood beneath.

"But the spark isn't what sustains this flame." he added, picking up a number of twigs and adding them one by one into the fire, which started burning at a steady rhythm. "You need to keep adding a steady amount of fuel."

After putting in the last twig, he picked up his carved block, stepped back and once again started chipping away with his knife.

"And you know what that fuel is? It's discipline. To work without waiting for motivation or inspiration, just out of the force of habit. To take a step forward in your journey no matter how chilly the night or how warm the day."

He held up his block in the light of the flame, observing it closely. Yetzu frowned.

"But I agree, in the course of that journey, one must pause, look, and question. 'Am I going in the right direction?' "

He brought his tiny arm down and threw the carved block into the flame, which hissed ferociously.

"I've had to discard so many sculptures this way. Stuff that I had spent months or years working on. To find something that works."

The hare sighed. He rummaged through the collection of wooden branches, before finding one he liked. He went aside, sat down, and set down to carving once more.

"Say Oogway, where do you plan to go from here?"

But the hare only got long, deep breaths in response. On looking, Yetzu saw Oogway lying with his eyes closed, basking in the warmth of the flame.

* * *

As the sunlight seeped in through the trees, the sky turned a dazzling white. Oogway awoke. Getting up, he saw Yetzu dozing off too - sitting, still clutching his unfinished sculpture.

Oogway looked at the erhu beside him. He felt the urge to play. He picked up the bow and instrument, and played a stroke so jarring that all of his surroundings woke up – some birds broke free from the trees, and Yetzu immediately raised his ears, startled.

"Huh. What was that?" the hare said, wearily.

"Ah sorry." said Oogway.

Yetzu got up.

"You might want to tune it up properly" he said, before smiling. He hopped forward, and took the erhu from Oogway. His ears carefully propped up, he twisted the two knobs, at the the same time plucking the strings with his fingers.

"Here you go." he said, handing the erhu back.

When Oogway played a stroke this time, the sound wasn't ear-piercing, but far from melodious.

"Anyway, I was wondering. If you are traveling, would you like me to accompany you? You are heading north aren't you?"

Oogway looked up. "I don't have a fixed direction."

And then he hung his head, dejected. "Well, you should probably just go on ahead yourself. I'll only be slowing you down."

The hare only smiled at this, and said, "It doesn't matter." He put his tiny hand forward to clutch the little tortoise's arm, and made him stand up. "Come."

Soon, they started making their way up north. Yetzu kept his steps slow, keeping pace with Oogway.  
The little tortoise shed a tear. It was as if the young hare had extended a warm, soft hand to caress the subdued spirit trapped in the recesses of a deep, dark shell.

That day, he realized the value of a medicine far more potent than any other – that of compassion.

But daylight is always followed by a night of darkness. Little did Oogway realize that the universe was about to pose to him a harsh challenge that would shake the very foundations of their budding friendship.

* * *

 **Author's note** :

Thank you very much for reading! How are you guys finding the story so far? Is there anything in here and in previous parts that need improvement?


	7. Part 7, The Road Not Taken

As Yetzu, the hare, and Oogway, the little tortoise, travelled northwards, they came to a point where their road broke into two.

One of the paths headed north-west. It was a dry road with little undergrowth – clearly a well-used path. One could even see the hills rising in the far west.

The other path headed north-east. It was covered with cast-away leaves, and grass almost intact.

"So, where do we go from here?" Oogway asked. "Do you have an idea where we're heading?"

"I think we'd reach the village nation of the Llamas faster by going north-east from here. It's clear, this is the path to be taken." The young hare hopped onto the north-eastern path.

"Hm, you are correct, but is it not wise to take the road that's been well trodden upon?"

"And why should we take the more-travelled upon road?" Yetzu said, looking at the other road.

"Our journey is not the same as everyone else's," he added. He turned facing the grassy path. "Come on."

Oogway followed the hare.

As the duo steadily trod on the fresh grass and trampled over fallen leaves, the forest only grew darker. The sky hid itself behind a thick canopy that hung above. The grass soon gave way to murky, green mud. The air hung still, as the woods exuded a rotten, misty aura.

Not a single bird was heard singing. Not a single leaf seemed to move. With each step the crickets chirped louder. Oogway shifted uneasily at the eerie stillness of these darker woods.

On moving further, even the crickets' noise faded. The silence was deafening. It was as if the whole of his surroundings lay numb in fear of an ominous presence.

Oogway broke the silence with a trembling whisper.

"I really think we should retrace our steps. We must have chosen the wrong path."

"We already came this far. Let us brave this darkness till light appears," said the optimistic hare. "Do they not say that the night is the darkest before dawn?"

But Oogway was not convinced. He felt the uncertainity in Yetzu's voice.

"This seems more like the calm before the storm," the little tortoise squeaked."A calmness that's almost terrifying."

"Maybe you are right," the young hare finally acquiesced. "We should head back."

Yetzu turned around. But at that very moment, his eyes widened and his body froze.

As Oogway turned, he too saw something that had him rooted to his spot.

Bloodshot, steely eyes peered through the darkness, and seemed to cut into them like sharp knives. As the creature approached them with a deathly silence, it's form became clearer. A gigantic snake. A gargantuan monstrosity whose hood seemed to touch the high canopy above. And it looked down at them, with it's forked tongue twirling in and out – performing the macabre dance of the dead.

It let out a ferocious hiss that echoed throughout the darkness.

Yetzu's hair stood up on his back. Oogway could only stare, wide eyed and limbs trembling.

"So who are these fledglings that dare enter my abode?" The snake lowered it's hood, staring menacingly. It's red eyes shone like daggers.

None of them responded. The monstrous snake slithered forward, a terrible glee outlining it's face, as if it seemed to sense their fear.

The image was too much to take for the little tortoise. He withdrew his whole trembling mass into his shell immediately. At this, the snake posed to strike.

Yetzu piped up, words shivering. "We are sorry, oh mighty snake. We lost our way, and were just about to leave. We had no intention of disturbing you in your, uh, peaceful abode."

"Disturb?" The snake directed it's head towards the young hare. Then it bared it's fangs, smiling a deep, wide smile. "On the contrary, I find it extremely fortunate that you decided to step in here."

Then it's hood became still, and it's eyes glistened as if appraising a succulent piece of meat.

Yetzu had no time to react. The snake swung forward like lightning, and dug it's fangs deep into his back. The young hare's ear-piercing scream reverberated throughout.

Oogway, gripped with spine-chilling fear, couldn't do naught but stay in his shell, still shivering. His mind had become numb with shock.

The snake brought his tail forward, wrapping the hare in it's tight embrace. Yetzu lay limp. The snake felt the young hare's throbbing heartbeat as it freed it's blood-stained fangs and spoke with a hiss.

"I'll take my time with you, little hare." it said, looking at him fondly as if the little hare were his toy. "I'll wait till you are conscious."

The monstrous snake cast a mirthful glance at Oogway's lifeless shell, before disappearing into the darkness, carrying the unconscious hare in it's wake.

Calmness spread-out once more. But the little tortoise remained in it's shell. The shell, this time, seemed to do nothing to ease the chill and numbness. His mind could process no thoughts. It was no surprise then that he didn't notice the splatter of raindrops on his hard shell.

In a short while, he reared out his limbs and head, wetting them in the rain. That was when the weight of what happened hit him hard. He huddled himself in his arms, shivering and letting out a pool of tears, which remained almost indistinguishable in the rain.

When all was said and done, in the moment of truth, he could do nothing but cower in fear. He was nothing more than a coward.

As the rain slowly subsided, warmth spread out in his body once more. Oogway sighed with resignation. He set foot on the mud, and decided to retrace his steps. He was not brave. He was not strong. He was not fast. What could he do against that terrifying monster? His image alone was enough to break his will.

As he took a few steps forward, a faint light hit him, seeping in through a gap in the canopy. He looked up. Through the little gap he saw the moon peeking.

Was that the outline of a hare on the moon? After he took a moment to survey the spectacle, he turned around. Once more.

His shell seemed heavy. His limbs shivered and his bones rattled – harder than ever. But he took advancing steps, one at a time. He felt the entrails the snake had left behind in the mushy mud and followed them.

He didn't know what he was going to do. The time he had spent with the compassionate hare had been short. But his memories shone like the moon in a sky of fearsome darkness.

He decided to follow that moonlight. 

* * *

**Author's Note** _: Here's something interesting to look at : wiki/Moon_rabbit. Once again, thanks for reading! Feedback greatly appreciated. :)_


End file.
